Downtown Spring Fling

On May 7th, Mike Davis and I shared a booth at the "Downtown Spring Fling" Arts & Crafts Show in Rocky Mount, Virginia. Mike arrived around 8:00 a.m. to begin setting up. I joined him at 8:15. Mike and I had shared a speaking event at the Franklin County Library in Rocky Mount once, so I knew we'd have fun. Plus, he's a nice guy.

Mike (above) is the author of 12 novels--romantic suspense
and science fiction.

Because of concern about being set up on pavement with a blazing sun overhead, friend Amy Thomas loaned me her tent/canopy. Then the weather forecast the night before said the high temperature at noon would be 60 degrees, so Mike and I decided not to take the canopy. Bad idea. We nearly fried. But we survived and had a great time.

That's me wearing hubby Ron's red North Carolina State
baseball cap. At one point I had TWO caps on with one bill facing
forward, one facing backwards. The sun was HOT!

Mary Wray, owner of "The Artisan Center along the Crooked Road" and organizer of the Spring Fling, took excellent care of the vendors (around 30, I think) who were selling their wares, provided a clean bathroom indoors for us, helped with anything we needed. Mike and I met some nice, interesting people and sold some books.

Several painters, photographers, pottery creators, woodworkers, jewelry makers, and other artisans had items on display and for sale. I bought two pairs of earrings from wood turner friend Hugh Key.

Usually when I speak to groups or do book signings, I bring my stuffed black Labrador retriever King. Don't worry, he was never a real, honest-to-goodness live dog. He's stuffed like a child's teddy bear. I bring King to events because both my novels have a real "King" in them. Children love King, enjoy patting his head, rubbing his back, climbing on him. Most other dogs like him, although they always give him the sniff test. Asa, a German Shepherd at this event, accepted King immediately.

King

If there's another "Downtown Spring Fling" next year, you should go. But if you can't, know that The Artisan Center has most of the vendors' works throughout the year. And there's lots of other stuff to do in Rocky Mount.

At 3:00, Mike and I loaded up our vehicles and left--hot, tired, and happy.

Book Signings and Talks

Book signings and talks with fellow Lake Writers Becky Mushko and Karen Wrigley are always fun. Last week there were two such events. On June 3rd, we gathered at the Roanoke County 419 Library for an "Ask the Author" presentation.

Darlene Smithwick, Reference & Adult Services Coordinator for this incredible library, introduced us. She and her team provided a table draped with cloths for each of us, and provided bottles of water and individual microphones in case we needed them. To our delight, hook-ups for our laptops were handy so we could run our slide shows. Assistant director Michael Meise took lots of photos. And there were cookies! Real ones, the kind you eat. Can you tell I like cookies?

Becky read from her latest book, Ferradiddledumday, an Appalachian version of Rumpelstiltskin, and answered questions from the audience.

Becky Mushko talking about her book. The back-of-the-head view
on the right is of Claudia Condiff, another Lake Writer. I love her hair!
Photo by Michael Meise, Roanoke County 419 Library

Karen read from her book Beyond Woofs and Whinnies and talked about communicating with animals. Franklin, her Golden Retriever buddy, impressed the audience with his intuitive ability, sensitivity and absolute sweetness.

Karen (in white) and Franklin

I read from Secrets at Sweetwater Cove, talked about writing and where ideas come from, and thoroughly enjoyed myself. Even though the crowd wasn't huge, the folks were loads of fun.

Left to right: Me, Claudia Condiff, Brenda Sullivan (Franklin's person)
Photo by Michael Meise, Roanoke County 419 Library

Ram's Head Book Shop in Roanoke is one of my favorite independent book stores. When we arrived on June 5, Christine and owner Lolly Rosemond had everything ready. Our books were on the table, and snacks consisting of trail mix, cookies, and drinks were almost within arm's reach. And if you read this blog from the beginning, you know how much I like cookies!

Karen Wrigley and me at Ram's Head Book Shop
Photo courtesy of Becky Mushko

Even though there was lots going on in Roanoke, people came, stopped and chatted. We all sold books, but more importantly, we met some really interesting people. If you've never shopped at Ram's Head, you need to remedy that. They are located at Towers Shopping Center, and they have more than just books. Go. You'll be glad you did.

Who Am I?

Okay, I know my first blog post wasn’t what one would expect. What you needed was a post about who I am, what I’m about, and what I do. What you got was a post about my newly acquired bookcases and the books I rescued from The Closet. So now I’ll remedy that; you’ll probably learn more than you want to know. Plus, I'll tell you about my book.

Born in Washington, North Carolina, I grew up 21 miles west in Greenville, home of East Carolina University. I enjoyed my childhood. My mother was smart, gorgeous (I didn’t get her looks), and lots of fun. An enlisted marine in World War II, Daddy included me in his life and taught me how to use a bow and arrow, shoot a .22, and use my right knee. I can still remember him saying, “Sally, God gave you a right knee to defend yourself. Don’t hesitate to shove it where it counts.”

I remember the first day of the ninth grade. Friend Libby Keel ran up to me in the hall and told me about the “new boy” in school. “He’s sooo cute!” she said. “Watch for him in the halls; you can’t miss him.” Libby was right. Ron’s blond hair was combed in the “duck tail” style unheard of in innocent, small Greenville. He wore a leather kidney belt and kept a pack of Marlboro cigarettes rolled in his shirt sleeve. He looked like movie star James Dean. I played hard to get for a year and a half; our first date was in the summer before our junior year. We dated through high school, married two years after graduation, and I worked to put him through N. C. State University. Five years and two adorable sons later, Ron graduated with a degree in Mechanical Engineering, accepted a job with DuPont, and we moved to Wilmington, Delaware. In 1971, we moved to Lynchburg, Virginia. By then our family had expanded to include a precious daughter.

Throughout the 70s our family used the recreational facilities Smith Mountain Lake offered. Ron and I built a house and moved to Smith Mountain Lake in 2000. Our three children all graduated from Virginia Tech, married, and blessed us with a total (so far) of 11 grandchildren. I enjoy spending time with our family and friends, reading, kayaking, traveling, playing bridge, cross-stitching, dancing with Ron, and dreaming up new plots for future books. Chocolate meringue pie and grits swimming in melted butter are my two favorite breakfasts. I love dogs, horses, humming birds, and great blue herons.

I’ve been creating stories from as far back as I can remember, just wasn’t putting them on paper. When I was very young, my doll carriage became a stage coach; my baby dolls were the passengers. I pulled the carriage behind me and galloped—whinnying—through the neighborhood. A couple of years later my silver blue bicycle became my white stallion, and again I whinnied through the neighborhood.

In 1996, while in Lyon, France with husband Ron for a three-month job assignment, I started my first novel. I love mysteries. And I can make a mystery out of almost anything. To date I’ve published one mystery novel, Secrets at Spawning Run, which takes place at Smith Mountain Lake, Virginia. In the book, protagonist Aurora Harris returns to her childhood home at Smith Mountain Lake for her mother’s funeral, and is quickly caught up in a web of deceit, theft and murder. With her black Labrador retriever King by her side, Aurora attempts to solve the mystery and save her husband’s life. I’m working on my second and third novels now.